Surveillance satellites are well known. Surveillance satellites are commonly used to provide tactical advantages to maneuver commanders in the battlefield. For example, surveillance satellites can provide images that show terrain, troop disbursements, convoys, and the location of artillery, missiles, aircraft and other equipment.
Electro-optical countermeasures for denying imaging capability to surveillance satellites are also known. Such countermeasures typically comprise directing a laser beam from a ground-based countermeasure system toward a surveillance satellite, so as to saturate the imaging detector(s) thereof and thus inhibit imaging.
Since the laser sources of such contemporary countermeasure systems are disposed at approximately sea level, the laser beam must pass through substantially the entire thickness of the Earth's atmosphere to reach the target satellite. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the Earth's atmosphere attenuates and distorts a laser beam that passes therethrough. Such attenuation and distortion substantially inhibits the ability of the laser beam to adequately effect the desired countermeasure.
Because of the detrimental effects of the Earth's atmosphere upon such electro-optical countermeasure laser beams, a more powerful laser source is required. Less powerful ground-based laser sources are simply less effective at denying imaging capability to surveillance satellites. Thus, such ground-based laser sources must be larger, more complex, and more costly than desired.
The complexity of such larger laser sources inherently affects their reliability in an adverse manner. That is, such complex systems have more potential for failure, since there are comparatively more things that can go wrong. It is important to appreciate that the failure of a countermeasure system during a battle can cost lives.
Further, such ground based electro-optical countermeasure systems tend to be stationary. Because of the powerful laser sources required, the size of the equipment and the electrical power requirements thereof tend to make portability difficult. Portable electro-optical countermeasure systems must have portable power sources.
It is desirable to be able to characterize satellite surveillance systems. For example, such characterization can aid in the development and implementation of electro-optical countermeasure systems. It is also desirable to be able to verify in real time that such electro-optical counter measure system are operating effectively.